The Art of Power
by ssj2luke
Summary: Raph comes across a boy fighting a bug-like creature. The boy defeats the creature, but loses his life in the process. But before he dies, he gives something very important to Raph. Rated T for language. Somewhat of a crossover with Dragonball Z, but those characters are only in the first chapter.


Author's Note: I had other plans for stories, and even some in the works, but with my first laptop crashing, those ideas are as of now, gone forever. Now with my new laptop, I hope to not have any problems. Oh, and as for my fic, Through the Eyes of All, consider it on hiatus until I can get some more inspiration for it. This will be another Ninja Turtles story, but with a little Dragonball Z in the mix. And when I say little, I mean little. Elements of it will be obvious throughout the story, but only two of the characters will make an appearance in the first chapter. The rest is strictly Ninja Turtles. So I'll be posting it under Ninja Turtles only. The DBZ universe is slightly AU, taking place during the Cell Games. Also, I'm inventing a new power that Saiyans have. The Turtles universe will mostly follow the 2003 series. Rated T for language and violence.

One more thing. In the 2003 series, at least through the fifth season, the turtles had straight black eyes. I'm gonna keep it like that. Why, you ask? Well, you'll understand eventually.

Summary: The turtles come across a young boy fighting a big bug-like creature. The boy kills the bug, but loses his life in the process. But before he can die, he does something to Raphael. Read to find out what that something is. Starts during the TMNT episode, "Reflections".

**The Art of Power**

April and Splinter watched with amusement as the teenage mutant ninja turtles and Casey Jones rolled over on the ground, pushing and jostling each other for dominance.

"Well it's definitely a family," April said, chuckling slightly, "But, do you think we'll ever be able to teach **the kids** some manners?"

"Ms. O'Neil," Splinter responded, raising his hands in surrender, "Teaching them the ancient art of ninjitsu is hard enough. I am afraid even I cannot work miracles."

As the fight between the five young males began to die down, April couldn't help but observe how ordinary the situation seemed. Despite the fact that four of the people fighting were mutated turtles, the fight was played out like one between any regular family.

April sighed. After all of the fighting with aliens, not to mention the battle within the TCRI building, she was glad for the turtle brothers, as well as Splinter. After living their whole lives hiding in the shadows, it was good for them to spend some time in the outdoors, away from prying eyes. They deserved to experience a sense of normalcy for once.

Unfortunately for April, she was unaware that the four brothers could never experience anything normal for long. Every time they got close to having a regular day, something would come along and complicate their lives further.

And for a certain turtle, his life was about to take a turn he, nor any of his brothers, could even comprehend.

A few days later, the group was packing up and getting ready to return home. Despite the calming nature of Casey's house, the brothers and Splinter were ready to get back to the home underground they knew so well. After all, there's no place like home.

Raphael stood on the porch of Casey's house, absentmindedly twirling a sai and staring out into the distance. Noticing Raph's daydreaming, his brother Michelangelo came up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Something bothering you Raph?" Mikey asked, voice laced with light-hearted concern.

"Huh?" Raph asked, not really paying attention. "No, it's nothin' Mikey. Just itchin' to get back home."

Mikey chuckled in response and clapped Raph on the shoulder, "Waiting to bust some Purple Dragon heads, are we?"

With that, Raph turned his head and gave a devilish smirk to his brother, "Somethin' like that."

Mikey chuckled again, but stopped when he noticed a sort of longing in Raph's eyes. "Are you sure that's it Raph?"

Raph tensed for a second, but gave a light-hearted smile after that, "Of course that's it bro. Why would you ask?"

"Because I'm your brother, and I can sense when something's wrong with you."

Raph deflated slightly, and gave up, "Well, there is somethin' else."

Mikey raised his head curiously, "Yes?"

Looking out once again into the distance, Raph said, "I'm just gonna miss this, that's all."

"What's this?"

"All of this." Raph replied, gesturing out into the woods, "Bein' able to go outside without worryin' 'bout bein' seen. Just runnin' around and actin' like a normal family without havin' aliens and humans attackin' us from all directions."

Mikey's smile turned downward. He could understand exactly what Raph was going through. After all, he was currently living through the exact same situations. But he was never aware that Raph felt so strongly about this. In fact, he wasn't aware that Raph could be so passionate about anything other than fighting.

Before Mikey could respond for that, Raph said, "But enough o' that emotional crap. I'm still happy 'bout goin' home."

Mikey laughed at that, throwing an arm around Raph's shoulder, "So am I, bro."

Raph frowned at his brother's antics, but it was a playful frown. "Alright bonehead," he said, "Get ya hand offa me."

Mikey took his offending hand off, and suddenly got an idea.

"Hey, you know what would be a great idea?"

Raph turned his head questioningly. "What?"

"Since this is our last morning out here, what do you say we take a run through the woods? Maybe a game of ninja tag."

Raph smiled at that. "Sounds good ta me."

"Great! Let me just get the others."

Twenty minutes later, three of the four brothers were darting in and out of the trees, attempting to avoid the one dubbed "it." Raphael was currently the one "it", thanks to some clever prank work by Mikey. It didn't take long for Raph to get lost.

Raph grumbled, "I'll teach ya to set a trap on me Mikey. I'm gonna go Wile E. Coyote on yer butt."

He proceeded to leap up into the trees, hoping to get a bird's eye view of the forest. As he climbed higher and higher up the branches, he began to hear a faint whistling sound, almost as if a bomb was being dropped. He turned his head upwards, searching for the sound.

"What the shell is that?" he asked to himself, raising an eye ridge. Choosing to ignore the sound for the time being, he continued his journey upwards. Finally, after several minutes of climbing, he reached the top of the trees.

"Alright, now to find the little chucklehead."

He put his hand on his forehead, searching left and right for his orange-banded brother. But unfortunately, he was unable to catch sight of him. Getting angry, he looked down through the trees, hoping to at least spot a glimpse of purple or blue. But there was no such luck.

He growled, "Goddammit, if those guys left the woods just ta keep me lookin' for them for hours, they've got another thing…"

Another whistling sound interrupted his tirade. "What now?!" He shouted, looking once again at the sky.

At first he was infuriated, but that anger quickly turned to anxiety as the whistling grew louder around him. Getting frantic, his head darted back and forth, until it rested to a small speck out in front of him.

"Is that supposed ta be a meteor or somethin'?"

As he said that, the speck began to grow larger and larger, until it was roughly the size of a human body. It sailed over the forest, causing shock waves so big it nearly ripped the trees from their roots. At first looking nervously at the sailing object, Raph now shook with fear as he finally deduced where the object was headed towards. It was headed right towards him.

"Oh shell!" Raph shouted, "I gotta get outta here!"

He began to jump down the tree branches, hoping to get down fast enough to get out of the forest and alert his family. But he was far too late.

Suddenly, everything around him exploded. Trees disintegrated, dirt flew up into the air, and Raph was lifted off of his feet. Without any way of calling for help, he could only scream as he was launched more than a hundred feet away from the eruption. He sailed through the air, tumbling and turning before he finally hurtled towards the ground. Acting quickly, Raph turned his shell downwards, hoping to use it to take most of the impact. It was still very painful, however. He crashed through several trees, receiving numerous cuts and ripping up his ninja gear before he at last crashed to the ground.

Raph sat on his back for several minutes, staring up the sky. Despite the possibly distressing experience he had just gone through, all his rattled mind could think at the moment was, _'What the SHELL was dat?'_

He was so confused, he was ready to just give up and lose consciousness, when a faint voice made its way through his eardrums.

"Raph? Is that you? Raph?!"

'_Leo,'_ Raph thought, '_just in the nick o' time.'_

He felt a strong arm grab his hand and lift him to his feet. As his vision cleared, he noticed all three of his brothers standing around him, each with a similar level of concern on their faces.

He observed them a little closer, '_Hmph, just like them to not get one flamin' scrape on 'em.'_

His brother Don said urgently, "Oh my god, Raph! Are you alright?!"

"Yeah, yeah," Raph replied, still struggling to keep his balance, "Just peachy."

"Peachy my green butt!" Mikey shouted, "You look like shell right now! How did this happen to you?"

Raph gave his brother a disbelieving glance, "You mean ta tell me you didn't just see that huge explosion?"

Each one of the brothers shook their heads, and Raph's resolve hardened. Shaking Leo's hand off of his arm, he started to limp towards where he knew the explosion happened.

"Oh no you don't!" Don yelled, grabbing Raph's shell, "You need medical attention! You're not going towards whatever nearly killed you!"

Raph turned back towards Don so quickly his tattered bandana swirled around him. "Donny…" Raph started, trying very hard to keep his cool, "Whatever nearly killed me, it looked like a human body. If someone got seriously hurt, I'm not just gonna stand by and cry over my own injuries. No matter what you say, I'm goin' and there's nothin' you can do to stop me."

Reluctantly, Don let go of Raph's arm, and he and the other two brothers followed the determined turtle. They watched as Raph bustled his way through bushes and branches, seemingly ignoring as they scratched at his legs. As they ventured further, they noticed the scenery around them look increasingly dilapidated, and before they were aware of it, Raph had pushed the last bush away and made the first step in the passage of the explosion.

The way the other brothers saw it, you could fit several swimming pools into the size of the crater the explosion had created. Everything that had once been in that spot, what had once been fresh and alive, was now a series of wood chippings, dirt, and rocks.

And honestly, that was how Raph saw it as well.

"What do you think could have caused such a crater?" Don inquired, looking around for a sign.

"I don't know," Leo answered, "But whatever it was, we shouldn't stick around to find out."

"Agreed." Mikey said.

Raph on the other hand, did not agree. He focused his eyes on the exact center of the crater, and what he found was…"

"A body!"

"What?" Leo asked, shocked.

"Look down there!" Raph pointed down at the body, and upon noticing it himself, Leo's eyes widened.

Mikey, having noticed it as well, practically shrieked, "What're we supposed to do now?!"

Without looking back, Raph began leaping down the debris, "Whatd'ya think, ya nut?!"

"Raph, wait!" Leo shouted.

But Leo's frantic call did nothing to slow Raph down. He ran down the edge of the crater as fast he could, slowing down only to keep his balance. Before he knew it, he was mere feet away from the body. He looked back, and saw his brothers back at the top of the crater. They were still waving for him to come back. _'_Fine' Raph thought, '_If they don't wanna help me, then nuts to them.' _Waving them off, he turned back to look at the body. And that's where he found his next surprise.

The body appeared to be that of a young boy, around ten or eleven years. Upon further scrutiny, Raph noticed the kid was wearing a ripped purple gi with a sash and slipper-like shoes. But what perplexed Raph even more about the boy was his hair. It was sticking out in all directions, and was a color far too gold to be called blond. It was so vibrant it was practically glowing. He was also quite muscular, much too muscular for someone his age. But all of those aspects were not what nearly made Raph jolt back in surprise.

The boy was still breathing.

'_Holy crap!'_ Raph thought, '_How the shell is this kid still alive?! Not even Shredder could survive something half as powerful as that explosion!'_

Without a second thought, Raph ran up to the boy and ran his hands over his body, searching for wounds. Surprisingly, he found little damage, aside from a gash on the boys' forehead and a small trickle of blood running down his mouth.

'_Just who is this kid?'_

As he could hear Raph's thoughts, the boy slowly began to stir. His eyes flickered open, and Raph was surprised once again. The boys' eyes were a bright, piercing teal, so bright they seemed to stare into Raph's core. It was very unsettling.

"Wha...Where am I?" The boy asked, dizzy confusion in his eyes.

"You're in a crater." Raph answered. In situations like this, he couldn't help but crack a joke.

As the boy quickly regained his sense of reality, Raph noticed his face morph into one exhibiting fear.

"But…how did I get here?"

"I don't know. All I know is you fell out of the sky and nearly crushed me into itty bitty turtle bits."

"Turtle?" Now the boy was really confused. "You're a turtle?"

"Mutated turtle." Raph replied, not willing to go through his life story at the moment. "Some call me Raphael."

Apparently not listening anymore, the boy said to himself, "But if I got here like that, then that means… no…NO!"

The boy shot up so fast he knocked Raph on his shell. And then something happened that made Raph gasp in astonishment.

Golden flames erupted around the boy, licking around his frame with so much intensity they made debris rise up from the ground around him. Raph had a hard time preventing himself from being blown away by the display of power.

Looking at Raph with a determined face, the boy said, "You have to get out of here! Now!"

"What? Why would I have ta do that?"

"I don't have time to explain this right now! Get out of here before Cell gets here and kills us all!"

"Cell?" Raph questioned, "Who, or what is Cell?"

"No time! Run now, before…"

That was the last the boy managed to say before he and Raph were caught in another explosion. Only this time, the boy was able to grab Raph and lift him above the explosion before it caused Raph any more damage.

Raph looked down on the ground, obviously disturbed to find himself fifty feet above it.

"How can you do that?" Raph asked the boy.

The boy gave Raph a stern look. "I think there are more important things to worry about at this moment than how I can fly."

"Sorry. Just askin'."

Raph was about to crack a joke about Gohan's flying, when he remembered something important. His brothers. They had been not too far away from him in the second explosion. Feeling incredibly nervous, Raph looked back to where he knew his brothers were, and to his shock, he found them collapsed on the ground.

"Oh no!" He yelled.

The kid nearly jumped in surprise, jerking his head back and forth. "What?!"

"My brothers! They were caught in that explosion!"

The kid looked to where Raph was pointing, and he saw the additional turtles lying on the ground not more than a few hundred feet away.

"Don't worry, they're fine."

Raph looked back at the kid, feeling his anxiety decreasing. "Really?"

"Yeah, they're just unconscious. Their energy is still fluctuating normally."

"How can you tell?"

The boy was about to answer back, when another voice interrupted the two.

"Well, look what we have here."

Raph looked up at the source of the voice, and was instantly grossed out. What he saw in front of him looked very much like a giant green bug. It had the normal human arms and arms, but it also had giant bug-like wings and a stinger in the back. Its face was mostly human looking, but its eyes were what made Raph flinch. They were a sharp black on red, so obviously evil they forced the Shredder into Raph's mind.

The bug, who Raph presumed was named Cell, said, "Gohan, have you made a new friend? He's a bit odd looking."

Raph got angry, "Hey, who are ya callin' odd looking, ya freakin' bug creepazoid!"

Cell merely smiled. "Oh, and he has an attitude. How nice. I can see why you two would get along. Gohan, you shouldn't be so quick to make new friends. You know what happens to those you care about."

At that, Raph noticed two separate reactions from Gohan. One was anger, if the curling of his lips wasn't obvious enough. The other, to Raph's shock, was sadness. He could see a single tear run down Gohan's face.

"Did somethin' happen to people close to you?" Raph asked, trying to sound concerned, even though he barely knew the boy.

"Yes." Gohan answered. He slowly brought Raph to the ground and set him down. "He killed my dad, my mom, and every one of my friends. All right in front of me."

Raph gasped. Family was the most important thing to him. He couldn't even imagine what it would be like to lose every person he loved dear. So, even though he barely knew Gohan, he could feel a connection between the two.

'_In any other situation,'_ Raph thought_, 'We'd probably be friends.'_

"Gee," Raph said, unable to come up with anything better, "I'm real sorry."

"Don't be," Gohan said, as more tears trickled down his young face. "Cell's the monster that did this. He's the one that ruined my life."

Gohan began to float back up towards the awaiting Cell.

"But I know just how to pay him back."

'_Good luck, kid_.' Raph thought.

"So, kid." Cell said, a smirk on his face, "Are you ready for more?"

Gohan fixed himself with a furious expression, "You bet Cell." He began to power up again. "And this time, I'm NOT HOLDING BACK!"

With a burst of light, Gohan launched himself at Cell, and the fight began anew. Punches were thrown, kicks were kicked, and to Raph's surprise, the two fighters teleported away from each other constantly. The fight began to speed up so quickly, Raph had a hard time keeping any focus. An image here and a flash there was all he got most of the time. But the sounds were there. Both fighters grunted with the exertion of such an intense battle, and the punches that connected with each other sent shockwaves around the forest.

And then, as abruptly as it had started, it stopped, and the two fighters separated. To Raph's shock, Gohan was sporting several new cuts across his body, as well as numerous bruises on his face. He was breathing heavily and fighting hard to stay up in the air. But Cell was still unharmed. In fact, he barely looked winded.

"Tell me Gohan," Cell said, "How do you expect to avenge your family and friends, if you can't even land one punch on me?

"Shut up." Gohan gasped.

"What happened to that so called 'hidden power' Goku was talking about? Hmph, he should have never trusted a child to do a man's job."

"Shut up!"

"The really sad thing is, he had all this faith in his son, and what happened to him? He got killed. Just like all the others. Once I'm finished with you Gohan, I'll take care of your little friend down there, and then no one will be around to stop me."

"SHUT UP!"

Gohan launched himself at Cell with all the speed he could muster, and landed a hard punch to his face. Cell staggered back from the force of the attack, and Gohan smirked.

'_Yes!' _Raph thought, practically bouncing with excitement, _'Take that, bug freak!'_

But both Raph's and Gohan's pleasure was short-lived, as Cell merely turned his head back forward, and grinned. For all of Gohan's efforts, all Cell had to show for it was a small trickle of blood running down his lower lip.

"Well, looks like I finally got some respectable power out of you."

With each word, Cell flew closer and closer to Gohan, until he was a foot away. Gohan, to his credit, stood strong, but Raph could plainly see the fear etched on his face.

"But it wasn't enough."

Cell grabbed Gohan by the collar, and proceeded to punch him. Over and over again. Punch, punch, kick, kick, punch. That was all Raph could think as he watched the horrifying scene above him. Blood and spittle flew out of Gohan's face like a sprinkler, spraying onto the ground.

'_I've got to do somethin''_ Raph thought, '_But what can I do against somethin' like that?'_

Looking down at the tattered remains of his belt, he took out one of his sais. "Well, as I always say, take some risks."

With a shout, he threw his sai as strong as he could towards Cell. True to his ninja training, the sai sailed directly towards Cell's face, and for a second, Raph was hopeful.

But all that hope went out the window, when instead of the sai impaling Cell's face, possibly causing him a fatal injury, it glanced off of his face as if it was a paper ball. Catching the sai in his left hand, Cell gave Raph a look of contempt.

"Is this the best you can do?" Cell said, crushing the sai easily within his fingers, "If it is, then you're not worth my time."

He dropped the sai, and raised his hand to hover over Raph's form, while Raph remained rooted to the spot in fear. Without so much as a thought, a ball of energy appeared in his hand, growing in size and power until it was larger than Raph himself.

Gohan, who had been close to passing out a moment before, suddenly awoke with a start. "What are you doing, Cell?!"

Cell didn't even grace Gohan by turning his head, "Getting rid of another one of your friends, just to remind you how much of a failure you are to your father."

"NO!" Gohan yelled.

But it was too late. Cell released the ball of energy, and it hurtled towards Raph, eating up the ground as it did so. Raph tried as best as he could to think of a way to escape, but with imminent death coming right up to him, he came up with nothing. So, he could do nothing. He closed his eyes, and prepared to meet his end, when a yell disrupted his thoughts.

"Move!"

Suddenly, a hand came out of the blue and pushed Raph out of the way, saving him from the ball of energy. Unfortunately, it hit his savior. And that's where Raph had his first memory skip. He could never explain how it had happened, but the sight he saw was so fast and traumatic that it caused him to erase most of the memory from his mind. All he could remember from the scene was blood. Blood everywhere.

Coming back to reality, Raph pushed himself up from where he had fallen, and looked behind him. All he could see was a line of destruction that ran more than two hundred feet down the remains of the forest. Very quickly, Raph got a sick feeling in his gut. He looked up at Cell, and to his shock…Cell was alone. And that meant…

"GOHAN!"

Raph ran as fast as he could down the path of destruction to where he knew Gohan was laying, most likely dead. Ignoring the pain in his legs, he pushed onwards, until he finally got there. And what he saw nearly made him barf.

Gohan had a huge hole in the side of his chest. His body was still mostly intact, but that hole in his chest stretched several inches and quite possibly extended through one of his lungs. And there was blood. Blood everywhere.

Raph put his head down to the part of Gohan's chest where his heart lay, and to his utter disdain, could not find a beat.

"NO! Kid, you can't be dead!" Raph screamed, feeling the beginning of tears in his eyes. Desperately, he began pushing down on Gohan's chest, trying to stimulate the boy's heart. For thirty seconds, he continued the compressions, getting more forceful with each one. But, sadly, he was unsuccessful with each one. Getting tired, his arms fell uselessly at his sides. Sniffing, he looked down at the young boy, feeling immensely guilty.

"Ya gave ya live for me kid. And here I was, thinkin' that no human would ever do somethin' like that for someone like me."

Swiftly, Raph got very determined.

"And I'd never forgive myself if I let you die now!"

Rushing forward, he began giving Gohan mouth-to-mouth. Breathe in, breath out. Those were the only words Raph thought of as he breathed as much life as possible into Gohan's lungs. For thirty more seconds, Raph repeated his actions, and after that, it seemed like he was wasting his time. Then…

He felt a shudder run through the boy's body. He was finally breathing again.

"Yes!"

Putting his hand behind Gohan's back, he lifted the boy into a sitting position. He was wheezing harshly, and each breath he took caused more blood to seep from his mouth. But he was still breathing.

Taking a deep breath, Gohan said, "Raphael, is that you?"

Raph smiled, "Yeah kid, it's me."

Giving a weak smile himself, Gohan said, "Thanks for saving my life."

"Hey, you did the same for me. What're friends for?"

He brought Gohan up into a standing position, and to his amazement, Gohan was able to keep his balance, albeit weakly.

"Raphael, you've got to leave now." Gohan coughed, "Once he gets here, he'll decimate everyone you care about. Just like he did to me."

"No way kid." Raph said, giving Gohan a stern look, "Ya saved my life. I can't think of any human who would do that for me. Whether ya like it or not, I'm in this with you."

"Well, isn't this cute."

Cell was back. He floated down towards the duo, a superior smirk on his face, glowing with the same golden energy Gohan once had.

"A boy and his turtle friend, helping each other out. It'd be funny if it weren't so pathetic."

Both Gohan and Raph snarled, their upper lips curling.

"I must admit, Gohan. You made quite the effort. Goku would have been proud."

Raphael instantly got infuriated with the creature. _'How dare he say that. Does he have any compassion for human life at all?'_

"Ya know what Cell?" Raph said, not caring anymore. "Fuck you."

"Really?" Cell replied, uninterested.

"Yeah. Really. Ya kill this kid's family, rip a hole in his chest, and yet still have the balls ta make cracks about his dad. You're a fucking bastard."

Raph pulled out his remaining sai with a growl.

"And I aim ta teach ya a lesson."

With no other words spoken, Raph let go of Gohan's shoulder and ran as fast as he could towards Cell. He knew it was hopeless, that he wouldn't be able to kill him. But in his anger and sorrow for his new friend, he didn't care. No matter how small the damage, he was ready to deal it. He used his legs to launch himself into the air and formed a straight side kick, hoping to give the creature a good knock on the head. His ninja training did not fail him, and the kick made perfect contact. He continued his assault, giving punch after punch after to Cell's stomach, whilst delivering kicks all around his body. He slashed up and down with his one sai, and yelled in exertion. He could feel the familiar berserker rage build up within him, and this time he didn't try to hold it back. Cell deserved everything that was coming to him, after what he did.

Unfortunately, in his berserker rage, he failed to notice how Cell remained rooted to the spot, not moving an inch. He failed to see the familiar smirk appear on Cell's face. And most importantly, he failed to see the arm that shot out at him.

All of a sudden, Raph's assault was stopped as Cell's powerful arm reached out and grasped his neck, stopping him in his tracks. As his berserker rage faded, Raph saw with horror how Cell was completely unharmed. Not a single scratch was on him, not a single bruise was forming on his face. For all Raph's efforts, he had accomplished nothing.

Cell said to Raph with obvious boredom, "You know. There's a certain saying I've heard uttered across this miserable planet that I've come to admire."

Raph, fighting through the pain and fear, squeaked, "Wha…What is it?"

"If you can't beat 'em, join 'em."

"What does that have ta do with anythin'?"

Cell, ignoring Raph's question, continued, "But, if you can beat 'em..." he sneered at Raph, "CRUSH THEM!"

He tightened his hold, and Raph was overcome by the worst pain he had ever experienced in his entire life. He felt as if every fiber of him was being forced out of him as his windpipe was slowly crushed beneath Cell's fingers. Cell's fingernails were so sharp Raph could faintly feel rivets of blood running down his neck.

Gohan, who had remained rooted to the spot until that point, suddenly erupted, "Cell, what are you doing?!"

"Teaching you a lesson, kid!" Cell said, not giving him any eye contact. "This is what happens when a father puts too much faith in his son!"

"No! Please, no!" Gohan gasped, feeling tears trickle down his face.

Raph, hearing Gohan's plea, turned his head as much as he could in his direction. He tried to give any sign that everything would be alright. A head nod, a smile, a wave of the hand, anything that could have comforted the boy. But, with his consciousness rapidly fading, Raph found that feat almost impossible.

"Just take a look, Gohan!" Cell shouted, using his other hand to point at Raph, "Even helpless innocents can't save themselves from your incompetence. It won't be long before I deal with this freaks' family, and soon, no one will dare stand in my way!"

"I'm asking you not to do this! Leave him alone!"

"Too late, kid!"

Raph knew it was too late himself. Whether or not Gohan chose to fight again or not, Raph knew it was too late for him to live. Opening his mouth, he forced out the only four words he could muster.

"Don't worry…*cough* *cough*…about me."

He let his head roll back, and with one last cough, waited for death to overcome him.

But all of a sudden, Cell was blasted backwards by a stream of light, and Raph fell to the ground, hacking and gasping for air. Looking back, he saw Cell on the ground with a slight burn on his chest. For a second, he was confused, but then a voice came out behind him.

"I said…"

Raph tensed. The voice was clearly Gohan's, but it sounded much deeper and rougher than before. Feeling a sense of trepidation, as well as hope, Raph turned his head back, and what he saw nearly threw him for a loop.

Gohan was glowing again with that golden energy, but this time the flames were rushing up and down his body much more rapidly. Raph could see flashes of electricity flicker around his frame every second, cackling with energy. But most importantly, Raph could see a new determination in Gohan's eyes, as if his fighting spirit had been rejuvenated.

'_Do it, kid.'_

"Leave…him…ALONE!"

With a scream, Gohan released his power, and everything around the immediate area was encased in white. Raph's vision was obscured completely. But he didn't care. Whatever Gohan was doing, he knew it was good.

As soon as the light had begun, it came to an abrupt halt. And Raph could see everything.

Electricity didn't just flicker, it flashed around Gohan, making snapping sounds in the air. His hair, which had become a deeper gold, now stood up straight, with just one lock obeying gravity on his forehead. His eyes had become a sharper shade of teal, and they stared at Cell with the utmost derision.

Raph smiled. He smiled big.

"Well Cell," Gohan said, voice now echoing with power, "You got what you wanted."

He took slow, deliberate steps towards Cell, with each step causing small waves of dirt to swirl around his feet.

"And now, everyone you hurt is going to pay."

Cell just stood there, sweat pouring down his face.

"Raphael, my friends, Vegeta, Trunks, Piccolo, my mom, and most importantly, MY FATHER!"

In the flash of a second, Gohan was in front of Cell, his fist buried in Cell's stomach. Having no reaction at first, Cell abruptly doubled over, coughing out blood and saliva. Wasting no time, Gohan gave a swift uppercut to the monster's face.

Soon enough after that, the fight began anew. But this time, through all of the teleporting, energy blasts, and fist fighting, Raph could see a clear difference from the fight before. Gohan was the one dealing all of the damage this time, and Cell was the one struggling to put up a fight. Getting positively giddy, Raph shouted out, "Get 'em kid! Show that sucker who's boss!"

In the midst of the grunting, flying, and attacking, Raph heard a faint voice call back to him.

"Trying my best!"

All of a sudden, a burst of light appeared in the sky, and one of the figures plummeted towards the ground. Praying that it was Cell, Raph looked up at the figure in the sky, currently clouded in dust. But within a few seconds, that dust dissipated to reveal…Gohan.

"Yeah kid!" Raph shouted, pumping his fist in the air. He was ecstatic. That bug freak was finally being put in his place.

But his joy didn't last for long. His pumping fist slowly dropped back down to the ground as he noticed Gohan's condition. Even though the kid seemed to be stronger than the monster right now, the damage he had received before was beginning to take its toll. The wound in his chest was seeping blood at a faster place, and his hair kept dropping down and spiking back up again. He was having trouble keeping his new transformation; that much was obvious to the turtle.

With a deep breath, Gohan slowly dropped down to the ground. As he touched the solid earth, he began to sway back and forth, rapidly losing his ability to stay awake. All he wanted to do at this point was lie down and never wake up again. But that promised sleep was interrupted when a bulky green arm grabbed his and lifted him up.

"C'mon kid." Raphael grunted, bringing Gohan into a standing position. "Ya can't back down now."

"But Raph…" Gohan mumbled, fluttering his eyes closed, "I'm so tired. I just want to…sleep."

"No!" Raph shouted. "Ya can't do that kid. Think of all the people ya need ta save. So many people on this planet are goin' ta die by this freak's hand without you."

"I know. I just…can't do it."

Growing desperate, Raph grabbed Gohan by the shoulders. "Yes you can! You're the only one who can! I know ya want ta rest, but I can't bear ta see the planet die knowing the only person who could save it gave up!"

But Gohan seemed past the point of understanding. His hair drooped back to its previous state, and he closed his eyes. Raph was horrified. Without Gohan, nothing would stop Cell. He had to try something.

'_Wait._' He realized, '_Cell said something about Gohan's father before, something about how he put faith in his son, and that got him angry.'_ He leaned down towards Gohan's ear. '_If using that tactic doesn't work, I don't know what will._ _Please let this work.'_

"Gohan." Raph whispered. "Think of your father. He wanted you to win this fight for him. Ya don't have to do this for me, or even my family, but if anything, do it for your father. He wanted you ta win."

Suddenly, Gohan's eyes snapped open, filling with determination. He stood erect, and a fierce scowl appeared on his face. "You're right!"

Gohan let out a huge scream, his hair stood on end again, and he let his power envelop him until it completely covered his body. Raph had to stand back in order to stand this onslaught of power. The now familiar electricity cackled around Gohan's frame, so much so that it snapped at the ground and rocks began floating in the air.

"Alright, Cell." Gohan said, "I'm ready."

Raph looked back to the spot where Cell had landed, and to his disgust and dismay, the creature was regaining his footing. He was coughing up blood, his right eye was swelling up, and he had multiple indents in his skin from where Gohan had punched him. But he was still alive.

'_That…bastard.'_ Raph thought.

"Well Gohan," Cell gasped, "Looks like you've come out of hiding."

"You bet your ass, Cell." Raph said with contempt.

Ignoring Raph, Cell smirked at the flame haired pre-teen. "Now the game will really get exciting."

Gohan growled, and his power rose even higher. "No games!"

Cell frowned. "Perhaps you're right." He rose into the air. "No more games."

Stopping a few hundred feet in the air, Cell suddenly cupped his hands together, and a blue light appeared in-between them.

"It's time I end this fight once and for all. I refuse to let myself be defeated by a Saiyan child!"

Raph started slightly at Cell's words. '_Saiyan? What's a Saiyan?' _Unfortunately, he didn't have much time to dwell on it.

Gohan observed Cell with confusion at first, but soon enough his eyes widened. "No!"

Raph looked at Gohan. "What?"

"He's preparing the Kamehameha Wave!"

"Well, you can deflect that right? Ya took care of him before."

"Not this one! An energy beam like that could be powerful enough to destroy the whole earth!"

"What?!"

Both Raph and Gohan looked up at Cell, as he began his chant. "Ka...Me…."

"That coward." Gohan said, "He knows he can't defeat me so he's using this method."

"Ha…Me…"

Letting no time be wasted, Gohan powered up as high as he can go and cupped his hands together. "And I'm not going to let him get away with this."

"Wait," Raph said, unsure of what was going on. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to defeat this monster before he harms anyone else."

Raph's eyes widened. "With this Kameha…whatever it is Wave?"

Gohan's resolve became cold, as if he knew what was coming. "Yep."

"But ya can't do that!" Raph said, grabbing onto his shoulder, "You were barely standing before! How are ya goin' to survive this?"

"….I may not."

Gohan looked at the ground, his eyes softening as he listened to the cries of his new friend. All his life he had been fighting to protect the world, but every time he and his family had saved it, an even stronger enemy had come in their path. And now everyone he knew and loved was dead. He was all that was left. And once he too was defeated, who would be left to shield the people of Earth from any further harm? There was no one Gohan could think of to take his place.

Except…

Gohan turned his head back towards the face of his new friend, who was still frantically trying to get Gohan to stop his suicide attempt.

'_He's just as passionate about protecting people as my father.' _Gohan realized. '_Even though he knew he had no chance against Cell, he still attacked him full on, just to protect MY honor. Despite his appearance, he's just as human as anyone I've met, and more. If there's anyone who can protect the planet after I'm gone, it's him.'_

"Raphael, I have no other choice." Gohan said. "If I don't stop Cell right now, he'll kill you, your family, and everyone you've ever cared about!"

"But you're the first human, or _Saiyan_ I've met ta actually look past my appearance and risk his life for me!" Raph responded. "There has to be another way!"

"NO!" Gohan shouted, releasing his energy in a torrent around him, eating up the ground and launching Raph away from him. After tumbling for a few seconds, Raph landed on the ground twenty feet away and slowly forced himself into a kneeling position. Rubbing his bruised shell, he looked at Gohan in horror.

"I'm sorry Raphael." Gohan said sadly, his energy swirling around him as it rose even higher, giving his body a god-like glow. "It has to end now."

"But…" Raph gasped, feeling tears trickling down his face.

"No." Gohan said. "I wish it didn't have to be this way, but I'm out of options. It's either kill Cell, or die for nothing. And there's no way I'm dying for nothing, not after everything this creature put me through."

Taking one last deep breath, Raph gave up his efforts and hung his head down. "Ok. I understand."

Seeing Raph's depression, Gohan shouted to him, "Hey Raph!"

"Yeah?" Raph said, raising his head.

"For what it's worth, we would have been great friends."

Raph gave a small smile. "I think so too." He raised his hand and gave the Saiyan a thumbs up. "Now go show that bug what you're made of."

"What on earth are you mumbling about?!" Cell screamed from above, as his energy ball grew in size. "Chanting a little prayer before you die?"

"Oh no Cell." Gohan shouted back, allowing a blue light to appear in his hands as well. "I'm not planning on dying."

"Hmmm…" Cell said, narrowing his eyes, "really?"

"Yeah." Gohan responded. "At least not without taking you with me!"

"Well then," Cell growled, as the light in his hands grew so large that it covered most of the sky, "let's see you try and stop this!"

With that, Cell threw his hands forward, and uttered the final phrase to release his cataclysmic beam of destruction.

"HAAAAA!"

The beam shot forward from Cell's hands, and made its decent towards the young Saiyan and the teenaged turtle, filling up their views until it was all they could see. Raphael, to his credit, remained rooted to the spot, his faith for his friend keeping him there. But considering the energy he could feel coming off of the wave, that feat was incredibly difficult. He just hoped Gohan would be able to deflect it in time.

'_If there's anyone who can save us now, it's this kid.'_

Gohan watched the Kamehameha Wave as it came closer to its intended targets. A giant, never ending ball that threated to swallow up the planet, and he just watched it. He was initially afraid of the raw power he could sense from it, but that fear quickly turned to determination and acceptance.

'_There's no point in being afraid of it now.'_ He thought. '_I can't just stand around like a little helpless child anymore. My parents, Piccolo, they all thought I could beat Cell before. And I let them die.'_

"Ka….Me…."

'_I can't do that. I won't watch anymore. I….I feel it slipping._

"Ha….Me…."

'_And I WON'T WATCH THIS ANYMORE!'_

"HAAAAAA!"

Gohan's beam hurtled towards Cell's, which had almost reached the ground, and the two beams collided with each other, causing shockwaves that uprooted trees and ripped apart huge chunks of earth. At first, the two beams were in a standstill, but as the seconds passed, Gohan's superior energy level pushed Cell's beam back towards him, until they both united as one in the exact center.

Both warriors struggled to overpower the other, with Cell trying to overcome the Saiyans' higher power level, and Gohan trying to ignore his wounds and remain standing. Gohan's breathing began to increase in frequency as he got more tired, causing his energy to deplete slightly. Cell managed to catch a glimpse of Gohan's stressed and sweaty face and decided to tack advantage.

"You fool!" He shouted. "Don't you realize yet you're up against the perfect weapon?!"

Cell began to pour more energy into his beam, and bit by bit, he pushed Gohan's beam back to where they first collided. Gohan started to panic, his eyes becoming wild and his hands beginning to shake. It was clear to the two that Gohan would not be able to hold up for much longer.

'_No, no, no!'_ Gohan thought. '_I can't keep this up! I want to beat Cell so badly, why can't I do anything?!'_

Gohan tried desperately to add more power into his Kamehameha Wave, but to his dismay he found no reserves. Meanwhile Cell's beam continued to push Gohan's to the point where it was only a few feet away.

'I've got to do this! I won't let you down dad!'

With a grunt, Gohan managed to push a little more energy into his attack, and that was enough to stop Cell's decent and once again put both attacks at a standstill.

Raph, who was standing a good distance away, saw how Gohan was beginning to recover some of his power. Taking the opportunity, he shouted over, "That's it kid! Don't give up now! Remember your father! He wanted you to win!"

'_He's right.' _Gohan thought. '_He wanted me to win. He knew I could win.'_

He could feel the familiar anger growing within him, the anger that gave him power in so many fights in the past. The anger that could down any enemy, no matter how strong. And in this time of need, he welcomed it.

'_And I'm not about to prove him wrong!'_

Gohan let out a piercing scream, one filled with so many years of misery, and pain. A scream that told a tale of a child who never got to be one. A child who from age four was trained to protect the very world he lived on. A child who before his teenage years would become the strongest being on the planet, possibly in the entire universe. A child who would give his life avenging those he loved, and those who risked their lives to save him. That was the story his scream told.

Gohan let every bit of his power out, pushing it all into his hands, and releasing it towards his enemy. At first, nothing happened. But very quickly Gohan's beam pushed Cell's back to the midway point. And it didn't stop there. It kept creeping towards Cell, bit by bit, until it was only millimeters away. Cell tried frantically to add more energy to his beam, but he found he just couldn't do it. He couldn't beat the young Saiyan. The beam hit him full on, consuming every inch of his body. He began to scream in agonizing pain as his body was slowly ripped apart.

Gohan saw his wave hit Cell, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

"It's time to finish this!"

With one final yell, Gohan pushed his power level higher, and his Kamehameha Wave shattered Cell's body, twisting and warping it until it broke apart into tiny bits. The last thing Gohan heard from the bug-like android was the words Cell had been parading around ever since fighting Vegeta, the words he never expected to come back and destroy him.

"I AM PERFEEEECCCCTT!"

Gohan felt Cell's energy grow smaller and smaller until he was sure it had completely vanished. He let his hands drop to his sides and let out a large sigh.

"I did it."

Raph watched as the Kamehameha Wave vanished into the atmosphere and he glanced over at the young Saiyan. He gave a sincere smile and walked over to him, clapping him on the shoulder.

'_You did good kid.'_

"I DID IT!"

Gohan finally let his anger go and proceeded to collapse to the ground. Instantly worried, Raph knelt down beside the Saiyan and cupped him behind the head.

'_Oh no.' _Raph thought. '_It was too much for him.'_

"Heh, heh," Gohan gasped, a small trickle of blood seeping from his mouth. "I guess it was a little too much, huh?"

"Yeah kid." Raph said, feeling tears well up in his eyes.

"Well, at least Cell is gone for good."

"Yeah." Raph agreed. _'But at a cost like this.'_

"It was worth it." Gohan said, as if reading Raph's mind.

"I just wish ya didn't have to die like this. Ya saved my life."

"Raph." Gohan said, grabbing Raph's hand. "You saved my life too. And you did it for no personal gain. That's something I can't say for anyone else. I may die, but you've been a true friend in the little time we've known each other. That's why I want to give you this."

Gohan reached into his pocket, and pulled out a small capsule. He handed it over to Raph, who stared at it in confusion.

"What's 'dis?"

"You'll find out sooner or later."

"What's dat supposed ta mean?"

"Just trust me on this ok?" Gohan gasped, as his hair dropped down to its previous state.

Raph gulped, and a single tear slide down his face. "….Ok."

"There's one more thing."

Raph leaned close to Gohan's face, straining his ears to hear the Saiyan's barely audible words. "What?"

"Just a little present from me to ensure that you never have to….have to…."

Gohan closed his eyes, and to Raph's surprise, his hair turned black. Raph grabbed Gohan's shoulders and began shaking him, trying to get out the few remaining words. "Never have to what? Never have to WHAT?!"

"…..Never have to worry for your family's safety again."

The last words were almost nothing to Raph's ears, and he gasped in horror as he felt the hand grabbing his turn cold and lose whatever strength it had left.

"No! No! NO!"

But Raph's please were of no use. The Saiyan, the young boy whom he had become friends with in a short time, the boy who had selflessly given his life for the planet, was dead.

Raph felt like crying out, but he knew that would accomplish nothing. He remained sitting by Gohan's side, shaking his hand as if hoping that would shake some life back into the boy. But it was of no use. With one final sigh, Raph got ready to release the hand and let the boy rest in peace.

"Thanks for bein' there for me." Raph said solemnly. "Thanks for bein' a good friend."

He stood up, and was about the walk away, when he noticed something strange about the hand he was holding.

"What's 'dis?"

He saw a strange, resonant glow coming off of Gohan's hand, pulsating with energy. It seemed to dance around the hand, its rays and beams sparkling like the sun. For a moment, Raph was petrified by its beauty.

"It's so….beautiful."

But then it began to do something else.

It began to transfer from Gohan's hand to Raph's hand, as if searching for a new owner. It then spread along the length of Raph's arm, before changing from a rich, golden color to a heavenly white.

At first the energy felt soft and pleasant, but as it spread to Raph's plastron and down past his stomach, it began to burn ever so slightly.

"Ok, now it's starting to hurt a bit."

But it didn't stop there. The burning intensified, making Raph feel as if he was slowly being covered in acid. It continued to spread.

"Ok, I don't like that. Please…..please stop. Make it stop!"

It covered Raph's other arm, his legs, his shoulders, his neck, until only his head was left. As Raph stood there, the glow covered his head, leaving no part of him untouched. Now the burn was becoming excruciatingly painful. It no longer had the strength of acid, but rather the temperature of fresh lava. Raph began to scream.

"NO! STOP! STOP! WHAT'S HAPPENING TA ME?!"

The pain continued to increase, causing Raph to fell to his knees, hugging himself. His whole body felt like it was on fire, every vein felt like it was being stripped, every muscle felt like it was being stretched, every bone felt like breaking. He had felt pain before in his eventful lifetime, but this was without a doubt, the worst he had ever experienced.

"Just….no more. Please no more."

He vaguely thought he could hear his brothers calling his name, but he didn't even bother to dwell on it as the pain finally overtook him and he slumped to the ground in unconsciousness.

Author's Note: *Phew* That was quite a piece of work! I hope you enjoy this chapter, cause there's more to come! I honestly think I put too much into this chapter. How am I ever going to top this?! Well, anyway, please read and review.


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